When you least expect it
by MidnightMoonlightMadness
Summary: After Zim leaves Earth for unknown reasons, and Dib is left to try and get on with his life, what is one expected to do when that semi normalcy is flipped upside down once again? ZADR and stuff. Rated M for mature themes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Forgive the crappy summary, not sure where this is all going yet. Inspired by a collection of songs in a playlist and a vague idea from a dream. Also, did I sleep before writing this? Nope! Not beta read, any comments about stuff to be fixed are appreciated. Updates will try to be at least once a week, hopefully more. Enjoy! And Maybe even Review and stuff for me?**

Dib sighed as the front door slammed shut behind him. Today, being a friday, all he wanted was to turn around and crawl back into bed. Today, also being his birthday, would be the perfect time to do so, assuming his father had not been home that is. Unfortunately for Dib, it had to be one of the rare mornings the professor had decided to grace them with his presence.

He chose to ignore it, seeing as this year would be his last year of high school. Next year he would be pushed into some college, to go and make something of his life. He still hadn't figured out what he wanted to do, but as it turns out that was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully he'd be able to figure something out before it came to that.

Dib followed behind Gaz as they walked. The route was almost the same one they'd been taking forever, with only an extra half block to walk, past the middle school. He managed to get himself lost in thoughts of the future and what was to become of him, smirking lightly when vague memories of his childhood mixed in with his current thoughts.

The sound of a car slamming on the breaks to avoid running over a small child jerked him from his thoughts. Today was his birthday! Not a day to be moping about things that didn't matter just yet. He would need to go do something, a small celebration of sorts. It had taken him a little while, but eventually Dib settled on what it was he wanted to do. He remembered hearing about a new club opening in the middle of the city. It was already being labelled the new 'it' spot, so he figured he'd go scope out the place.

He didn't go clubbing often, it usually wasn't his scene. But when the craving for the contact of another human being became more then he could handle, he would drag himself out somewhere to satisfy that need. Trying to find anyone at the school was impossible. Granted, not that he tried all that hard to begin with.

Most of the others there had grown up with him. Which meant they had labelled him as crazy a long, long time ago. He let out another sigh as they walked. Six hours of school, just six hours, then he was free to begin the celebrations.

The walk was incident free, like it had been every morning for the last few years. Dib no longer had any reason to be wary of the shadows. A few years ago, his alien nemesis had taken off, probably summoned by his leaders, or sent on another mission. Dib would never know why though, as the alien had left without a word. For the first few months the teen was more paranoid then ever, not believing Zim could just up and leave like that.

He spent months on the edge, waiting for an attack that never came. Eventually, he had no choice but to accept that the Irken had really left. Victory for Earth. Right? He wasn't so sure. It hadn't felt like a victory, seeing as Dib had never officially won. Not that any of it mattered anymore. He had began to grow tired of the stupid alien's stupid antics anyway. He had more important things to worry about. Like college.

"I'll see you later." Gaz growled out. She gave him a small nod as they parted ways, heading into the school alone. He watched her go, not having a chance to come out with a response.

"Guess I better go in too." He muttered to himself, a habit he could never really get rid of.

The school day went on as it had for a while. Uneventfully and boring. Dib sat through first and second period, ignoring the ramblings of the teachers. He stared out the window, or doodled. Whichever held his attention for longer. He was doing well enough in his classes that he could miss the lectures and still do the homework. One of the advantages of being a genius, right? The lunch bell rang, startling him out of his daydreams. He was free, if only for a short while.

As the clock slowly ticked away the rest of the school day, his excitement began to bubble up inside him. Dib had done everything alone, so he knew that he didn't need anyone else around to have a kick ass celebration.

He dragged himself to his last two classes. He was having a hard time not watching the clock, his usual thoughts of dread were replaced with a more positive emotion this afternoon. As soon as the bell rung, signalling the weekend, he flung his backpack over his shoulder and raced out of the building, his black trench coat flying out behind him as he did.

He couldn't keep himself from rambling on the walk home. "Tonight's going to be great!" He practically beamed. "I think I've been needing this. It's been a while since I've done something fun."

She mostly ignored his outward musings and continued walking. She knew about his clubbing habits, even bringing herself to go with him a few times. Gaz smiled faintly, she would never admit to it, but she figured it was about time her brother got some excitement back. His life had gone from ten to zero in the matter of a few weeks, and it had taken it's tole on him. "Want me to tag along?" She offered as they approached the Membrane house.

He shook his head. "It's alright." Occasionally, the pair would go and act as the others wing man, Dib knew tonight he could handle it by himself. He wasn't entirely sure what tonight would bring, but being by himself wouldn't limit his options.

She shrugged. "Suite yourself." As soon as Gaz entered the house, she bee lined to her room. He headed up to his as well. Dib would need to pick out something half decent for tonight after all.

The room hadn't changed a whole lot since childhood. There was one major change though. The pictures and files he had made and gathered on Zim had all but vanished, placed in a small card bored box, hidden at the back of his closet.

He had never been able to bring himself to get rid of it. Was it because he feared that without the proof, he might begin to believe he was crazy? Or perhaps it was the odd chance that Zim may return, to continue the mission he had abandoned. But perhaps it was because they had been some of the most exciting years of his life, and he wasn't entirely ready to give them up yet. It was most likely a strange combo of the three.

Dib pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had spent all afternoon waiting for tonight and dammit he was going to enjoy it. He would take a short nap, not only would it kill time, but it would make sure he was in peak condition that night.

Upon waking up later, the smile returned to his face as he hoped into the shower and went about his routine to get ready. When all else was done, he searched through his closet for an outfit. In the end, he settled for a navy blue t shirt with fishnet sleeves, black skinny jeans, his black boots and signature trench coat. He checked himself out in the mirror before heading out.

"I'm leaving, Gaz! I'll be back later tonight!" He called out. "Or tomorrow." Dib added as an afterthought. When silence was his only answer, he shrugged and opened the door, keys in hand. "Whatever."

About a year ago, Dib had gotten himself a car. He didn't use it very often, after all gas was expensive. The car wasn't anything fancy, just a cheep black car, but he loved it all the same. It gave him the freedom to go into the city with ease.

The drive to the club wasn't long, finding parking was the real killer here. He rounded the corner for the fourth time before spotting a newly empty spot. He tried to make his move, but swore when he was cut off by a blue mini. After a few more circles, another space opened up. It was at the back of the small lot, but he didn't care.

After parking and locking the door, Dib hoped out. There was a small line out front, but when he got closer he recognized the bouncer outside, he worked another club that Dib had frequented often. He approached the bouncer and winked. The guy nodded before letting him through without a word.

The interior was not what he'd been expecting. There were small raised platforms throughout the room, with poles leading up to the ceiling. Around each platform, were a group of red velvet couches.

To the left of the entrance was the already crowded bar, despite the club just opening, it was packed. To the right was a series of rooms with curtains over them, blocked off by another bouncer with a rope.

Dib stood there in awe for a moment. Multicoloured lights shone from the ceiling, sweeping across the club, bathing the place in a mixture of colors. Each platform with a dancer currently on it had a different colored light pointing at them.

A sly smile crossed his face as he walked around the room, taking in the scene. Almost every pole had a dancer, along with small crowds of people. He walked up to the bar, taking a few shots of whatever they had on special. He wasn't picky about what he drank. Once that warm feeling ran through him, he headed back out onto the floor.

Eventually, his gaze came to land on one of the dancers and Dib walked over to sit down in front of him. After seeing the other male close up, he determined that there was no way he was much older then Dib himself. Around him, the small crowd quickly grew. It seemed that the male in front of Dib had become a crowd favourite. Females and males alike stood around to admire him as he danced.

A loose black tank top hung from the guys body, most of the fabric on the sides was missing, leaving only a few strips to keep the shirt together. The 'shirt' if one could call it that, paired with the small black shorts, did well to reveal the soft looking flesh beneath. Dib was entranced.

He watched, awestruck as the other danced around the pole, using pure body strength to pull and slip himself around. A red spotlight shone on him, distorting the colors in the area. The dancers dark hair hung to his shoulders, falling into his face as he danced.

_This is it_, Dib thought to himself. This is the one he wanted. His eyes followed the every move of the other male. He, like many others, pulled out his wallet. He waved the dancer over, wanting him closer.

The guy shot him an alluring look and walked over to grab the money Dib was offering him. Dib could feel his body heat up, the look in his eyes alone would be enough to draw Dib in. The music in the background thumped as the guy in front of him danced, his body moving perfectly to the beat every time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the dancer got off the platform. He walked straight up to Dib.

"See something you like?" He leaned over to whisper in Dib's ear, his warm breath hitting Dib's neck, causing hm to lightly shiver.

Dib froze up, as he watched small trickles of sweat drip down the others figure. "Y-yes." He stammered out. Dib mentally cursed himself for being as nervous as he was. It wasn't like it was his first time, and nor would it be his last.

The male in front of him smiled, mischief playing in his blue eyes. "What can I do for you in that case?"

Dib fidgeted with the side of his glasses slightly. _Everything_. He thought, instead saying; "Can I get a dance?" _Possibly more?_ His look implied. Dib had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

A sly smile played on the dancer's lips before he straightened himself up, about to agree when something caught his eye. He narrowed his eyes at Dib for a moment before he shook his head. "I have to go. Stuff that needs to get done." He blinked before turning away and heading towards what Dib assumed was the backroom.

He sat there, stunned. "What the hell was that?" He whispered to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N This chapter is a little bit shorter then the first. But don't worry! The next one should make up for that! Also which would be preferred: A longer chapter updated once a week, or a couple shorter chapters updated multiple times a week? Rate and Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks!**

Luckily for him, Dib hadn't taken enough shots to not be able to drive. He had quickly sobered himself up as he sat alone in his car. He couldn't bring himself to head home just yet, his ind was full of confusion. _What the hell was that guys problem?_ He asked himself for what was probably the millionth time in the last hour. He smacked his head against the steering wheel.

"Why does this even matter?" He muttered. It's not like he'd known the guy personally. But that was the problem, wasn't it? He _didn't_ know the dancer who had reacted so rudely to him. For about a second he had contemplated making a formal complaint, but waved the idea off.

After sitting there for another few minutes, he put the key into the ignition. He would go home, eat something, sleep and would figure it all out in the morning. Until then, he tried to forget about how the experience ended.

For the most part, he had enjoyed his time out, and despite the ending, Dib had definitely enjoyed his small interaction with the dancer.

He drove around the neighborhood aimlessly for another little while before deciding to finally go home. Each new thought just helped to confuse him further. But it all kept going back to one base thought, he wanted to get to know whatever his name happened to be.

By the time Dib walked in, it was late. His father, like normal, wasn't home, so there was nothing to worry about there. Gaz's door was closed, meaning she was either asleep, or gaming. But Dib didn't bother her to find out. He ay be crazy, but not suicidal.

He flopped down in bed and a sigh escaped him. His mind was relaying the events on loop. Dib could feel the heat pulse through him and to his crotch. He smirked, at least things hadn't been a total bust. He let fantasy and reality mix together in the most wonderful of ways and he worked to satisfy himself. It was the only way he'd be able to sleep at this point.

He woke up sometime in the late afternoon. Dib yawned and stretched himself out before throwing on some loose clothing. Images from the dream he had last night raced through his mind, causing him to blush a bit. After a quick shower, he headed downstairs.

Gaz was sitting in the living room watching TV. She eyed him before speaking. "Have fun last night?" The show, now mostly ignored in favor of watching Dib's reaction.

He got himself a small bowl of cereal before flopping down on the couch next to her. "The place was fantastic." He began. "I'm going back tonight." He didn't want to try to explain whatever it was that had happened with the dancer. Hell, he didn't even know if he could.

"Twice in the same weekend?" She mocked. "Must have been good."

He laughed. "Something about it was."

The rest of the day went much like this. They hung around the house lazily, bits of conversation here and there. It was how things were done in the Membrane house.

It was about ten when Dib checked the time again. The club would be switching to it's night crowd now, which hopefully meant he'd be able to see the other male again. A rush of excitement ran through him and he hurriedly got ready. His outfit consisted of a blue crop top, a long sleeve fishnet shirt underneath and a similar pair of black pants, along with his trench coat.

"See ya later!" Dib called out as he practically ran to the car. Dib finally had a plan, tonight he would hang back and just watch for a while, he was still unsure of what to say to the other but confronting him without a plan was a bad idea.

The bouncer by the door was one he didn't remember seeing, so to Dib's dismay he was forced to wait outside, like most of the others. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited. About forty minutes later, he was allowed access.

This time Dib skipped the bar. He had a purpose that extended beyond just good times. The male was at the same platform as last time, wearing the same clothing. Dib smiled as he walked up. This time he took a seat a little further away. He didn't want to be noticed by the dancer. The table he sat at was just behind on of the red couches, although it still held a perfect view of the platform.

He watched as the male flipped himself upside down on the pole before sliding down it slightly. It didn't look like it, but the dancer had more muscles then Dib had guessed. His eyes trailed down the dancers form. His skin looked smooth, and soft to the touch. From what he could see, it was perfection.

The other male did a few more pole tricks before he stepped off it. Taking a shot break presumably. Though the club was almost packed, to Dib it was like nobody else existed. That was until he saw an older male reach out and grab the dancer, almost pulling the smaller male onto his lap.

Dib wanted to jump in and help. He didn't like the look the dancer had on his face, and he wanted to help. _It might even make him rethink you,_a part of his mind whispered. But he didn't. Before he knew it the situation was under control. One of the security team, which happened to be the bouncer he knew, had rushed over and was now escorting the older man out.

Dib saw the other lightly rub his exposed arms, he shuddered a little before turning and walking towards the back. Dib jumped up, he couldn't help himself any longer. He hurriedly walked to catch up with the dancer.

"Are you alright?" He asked as soon as he was close enough.

The smaller male spun around to see who was talking. When he saw Dib he lowered his head. "Just fine." He muttered.

Dib stared at him warily, he looked anything but fine at the moment. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Call me whatever you'd like to call me. My name is irrelevant." He shot back. Dib could tell he was tying his hardest not to be to rude, if he did he feared Dib might make a complaint about him, which he just couldn't afford.

Dib paused. "I don't think it is." He wanted to move closer, to put his arms around the other and find out what was wrong, but he didn't. Something about the guy in front of him was enticing, more so then Dib had thought at first. He wanted to help.

He didn't respond right away, he tilted his head up to glance at the expression on Dib's face before speaking. "I have work to do. Excuse me." He turned around without another word. Dib wanted to reach out and stop him, but thought better of it.

"Dammit." He cursed under his breath. Dib reached up to run the back of his neck. Was there something wrong with him? Is that why he was being avoided? Or was there some other weird reason for it? He took another look around the room and sighed.

"Surprised to see you here again so soon." A voice behind him said. He turned around, the man standing in front of him was the bouncer he knew.

"Yeah." He said, Dib racked his brain trying to remember his name. Grant. It was Grant. "I just wanted to talk to someone who works here." He explained.

Grant laughed. "That one doesn't seem like the most social out of the bunch. Given, I've only seen him while working a few times. And I'd be a little awkward to if everyone around was imagining various different things they could do to me." He joked.

Dib laughed nervously. He had a point. "I guess." He stared off in the direction the dancer took off in.

"I gotta get back to work. But I'll see you around." Grant said.

"See ya." Dib gave him a walk wave as he walked away.

Dib sat back down at his table and waited. He eventually saw the dancer come back out and start waiting a few tables. Various colors ran over him, from blues, to reds, to greens, to purples. He watched in awe, wishing he could get the other to talk to him like he was talking to the customers he served.

Dib slumped back in his seat. He decided to do the only thing he could do at this point. Wait. He would keep his distance, maybe find another dancer to watch in the meantime. In the least creepy way possible, Dib would wait for the other to get off work. Hopefully he'd be able to speak to him then.

It wasn't a solid plan, granted, but it was the only thing he could realistically do. Despite who Dib watched, over the course of the night he found his gaze, and his thoughts, going back to the smaller male. The way he danced, and the way he carried himself was much different then the others. He had a different feel to him, almost exotic.

After sitting there watching various dancers for another little while, Dib decided to go wait in the car. He didn't want it to be obvious that he was waiting. He left, waving goodbye to Grant. This tie Dib had unknowingly parked near the employee exit, which gave him the perfect vantage point to sit and wait it.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry about this being a tad bit late, although insomnia pulled through for me again and thus, here we are! A new chapter! I'm still working out the kinks for the updating schedule. Currently the thought is I'm aiming to post two chapters a week about this length. This may change when school starts up again but I digress. It's also looking like the updates will be Monday and Friday. I do have a Tumblr where you can find out about delays and such. Thanks for reading, and thanks so much for the reviews! Keep it up guys! (Tumblr can be found here: ****midnightmoonlightmadness8 . tumblr . com just remove the spaces)**

Another two hours passed of waiting for Dib. It seemed the dancer he was infatuated with was working the late shift, not leaving until about three am. Dib watched as the other male stopped to wave to somebody inside, before continuing on. The big metal door swinging shut behind him. The parking lot wasn't very well lit, so it was hard to make out to much about the figure that walked out.

Dib did noticed, however, that he had changed into a pair of black jeans and a loose fitting sweater. He watched in awe as the small figure walked. He hesitated, wondering if he should just forget about it. He wondered, not for the first time, if this was crossing a line.

After a few minutes of internal debate, he got out of the car. Dib hung back a bit at first, unsure on how to talk to the other without raising some internal alarms. He had to admit, this was a bit suspicious, and given the line of work, Dib wondered if this happened to him a lot.

Slowly, he began to pick up his pace, making each step louder then necessary as he approached the dancer. He tried to keep himself relaxed, the last thing he needed was for the male to turn around and knock him upside the head. Dib kept his hands at his side, doing everything he could think of to make sure he looked as non threatening as possible.

The other seemed to notice Dib right away, tensing very slightly as he got closer, but otherwise not acknowledging him at all. A good sign Dib supposed. It meant he was less likely to get stabbed, or worse.

After about a minute longer, he broke into a light joke to catch up. Doubt raced through his mind as he did, but he sucked in a breath and pushed it away. "Hey." He said coming to stand in front of the other. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He questioned, not that he seemed to be leaving the other much of a choice.

Head lowered, the dancer seemed to notice this as well. "Kind of creepy isn't it? Stalking someone at their place of work and then trying to follow them home." He shot, only tilting his head up slightly. His hair fell in front of his face, obscuring any real vision of his facial features. The tone used held hints of sarcasm and something that Dib didn't recognize.

Dib opened his mouth to argue back, but he did have a point. Instead he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I know what this looks like." He began, letting out a heavy sigh. It was then that Dib noticed just how much smaller the other was. Dib was just over six feet, and the male that walked beside him barley came up to Dib's shoulders.

"What you need to do, is stop following me." He growled, side stepping the teen, before he continued walking. He was annoyed at having not only been followed, but his personal space invaded.

The walk had lead them to a small pedestrian bridge and the lighting was not the best. With only a few small lamps attached, it gave off just enough light so one didn't trip, but only just barley. Mentally, he wondered if he was going to get hit, or worse. He did kind of deserve it, generally following people around at this time of night was a sign of bad things. If nothing else, Dib could tell he was aggravating the other, but he pressed on.

Something about him began to seem oddly familiar to Dib. He ended up shrugging it off, it was probably just part of his new found obsession for the smaller male. "I get it." He called out. "I know how this looks. But the other night..." He paused to take in a breath. "...what did I do?" He finally asked, his tone begging the other to stop.

He did. He stopped right in his tracks. His memory of the other night was clear. There was dancing and flirting and someone who had seemed relatively eager for his attention. He went over happy to indulge...then realization slapped him in the face. He sighed, deflating a bit. "I don't know what you're talking about." He responded. Denial was the easiest of things to handle, it was something he had gotten really good at over the last few years.

Dib was next to him again, his mind yelled at him to keep moving. He did. "That's crap." He said. "One minute, all was good, the next..." he trailed off.

"I wasn't in the mood to deal with you." Lie. "You're not my type." Lies. "And you seemed kind of broke anyway." More lies. Not only did he wallow in denial, but he was a filthy liar at that.

"Bullshit." Dib was calling him out. He may not know what the reason was yet, but he did know that wasn't it.

"You seem a little obsessed, crazy even." He hit a sore spot, and he knew it.

Dib stopped walking again, taking a moment to think. He did seem kind of obsessed. The only time he'd been this bad was when... He jogged up and grabbed the smaller males arm, yanking him under one of the small lamps.

He tried to pull his arm away, he saw the look on Dib's face, things were about to start clicking in and he couldn't be here when they did. But his grip was ironclad.

Green. Green skin, how hadn't he noticed until now? No ears, no nose, he held up the hand just to be sure, three fingers. Dib felt like he'd been hit by a brick. It made sense, Zim hadn't noticed him at first, and when he did he knew it was only a matter of time before Dib recognized him as well.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Dib?" Zim growled. He ripped his hand from Dib and kept walking. Only a little further to go. The comment about Dib being crazy was what did it, he knew. But what Zim didn't know was if he had done it intentionally or not. Self sabotage was another thing he excelled at.

"Zim?" He shouted. The PAK, how hadn't he noticed the PAK? Had it really been long enough for him not to recognize his alien enemy? But, amazingly, the first emotion to hit Dib was not one of anger, but of happiness?

He did the first thing on his mind, Dib ran to catch up with Zim and he hugged him. The stupid, erratic alien was back. He wasn't crazy after all.

Zim squeaked, having not been prepared for that. "Let go of me filthy human!" He yelled. He'd dealt with enough touching tonight, Zim had no desire for anymore.

Once Dib set him down, the rest of his mind seemed to catch up with what was happening. Zim. He was here, in front of him. Not only was the Earth no longer safe, but he'd been fantasizing about Zim. Thinking about doing sexual, indescribable things. With Zim. Suddenly he felt dizzy. Before anymore words could be said, he turned about and almost ran back to his car.

What was he going to do? How was Dib going to live with this. Even now, knowing full well who it was, he couldn't get the images of Zim dancing out of his mind. He could full well accept being into guys, but being into _Zim_ he wasn't so sure he could handle. Dib drove faster then he had in a long time, he just wanted to be home.

Once he got home he walked inside and slammed the door shut behind him. Dib was in the middle of a mental crises, he was to busy to be concerned about who else may be home. Once hidden in his room, he sat down on the edge of his bed.

Sleep. He needed sleep. He would work on organizing his mind and trying to process it all when he woke up. "Does this mean Zim will be back at school?" He uttered, grabbing the few things he needed for his shower. It was four am Sunday morning, giving him less then twenty-four hours before school. He had less then a day to sort through his mind before the possibility of having to deal with Zim again.

In record time, he showered and was falling face first into bed. He knew once he woke up he'd have to explain his disruptive behavior to whomever may be home, but for once in the last few years, he could say dealing with a pissed off Gaz would be the least of his worries.

His dreams that night were anything but helpful. In fact, they managed to do the exact opposite of what he'd wanted. Flashes of green skin writhing beneath his body, magenta colored orbs and the addicting sounds of Zim moaning his name, plagued his sleep.

It was late int he afternoon when Dib finally woke up, he was groggy. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before slipping his glasses on. He stood up and stretched out. Over the year Dib had grown taller, but he was still relatively skinny, despite the muscle that had been built up over the years.

The memories of his dream chose that moment to come flooding back. Dib felt his face heat up, there was no way he should be having those thoughts about Zim. He sighed, throwing on a shirt and a pair of pj pants, before heading downstairs. Time to go face Gaz, who was probably plotting his demise for waking her up last night.

But imagine his surprise when, instead of ripping his voice box out, she asked him how last night went.

"It was alright. I guess." He answered. "Don't think I'll be going back there though." He said, pouring himself some cereal, disregarding the fact that it was closer to dinner time then breakfast.

She turned her view from the tv and smirked at him. "Get yourself kicked out?" She always found some way to make fun of him.

Dib shook his head. "Worse then that."

She raised an eyebrow. "What could be worse? You didn't get arrested did you?"

He hesitated answering the question. How could he explain what had happened without her rubbing salt in his wounds. Bad enough he was attracted to the being he was supposed to hate, but he didn't need her constant mocking to go along with it. It was also just raise more questions he didn't have answers to.

_But then again, she may be able to help, _he thought. It's not like Gaz would tell anyone, she didn't care that much. He chewed the last bite of cereal as he weighed the pros and cons. He kept his eyes on the bowl as he spoke.

"The one person that worked there that I liked?" He began. "Was Zim."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hello! Here is the fourth chapter! After this things should really start to pick up, so continue reading and thou shall be rewarded. I've got some cool stuff planned for the next bunch of chapters. Still not certain about length in total though. Thank you all for your lovely reviews, as always. I hope you enjoy and continue to review with comments or feedback! **

After Dib had run off, Zim was left to stare at the space he had previously stood. Eventually, reality kick in again and Zim began replaying the series of events in his mind. He couldn't say for sure what had just happened, but now Dib knew he was back. Great. He walked the rest of the way home in relative silence. There was a part of Zim that was disappointed with how Dib had reacted.

"Stupid Dib-thing." He mumbled. When he had come back to Earth, Zim knew he could no longer stay in his old base. It stood out to much, and even worse Dib knew where it was. He managed to find an apartment loft that was suited to his needs. A few quick modifications, and it was made officially perfect. He lived in the city, closer to work, easier to blend in.

If there was one thing that Zim was certain about, it was that he had blown it. If the plan was truly not to let Dib find out about him, then he had failed big time. He pushed the exact buttons that were needed to bring the humans brain up to speed.

Zim wouldn't be able to explain why he did it, but he was sure he'd done it on purpose now. Did he want to be captured? Dissected? Cut open and experimented on? No, that much was obvious. But he _had_ wanted the Dib to know he was back.

Those eyes. They had lost their spark since he had last seen the human. It was almost as if when Zim left, he took the humans passion with him. But he had seen it, the spark had returned when the charade fell to pieces. The best part? Dib had hugged him! His first response was not the one Zim had predicted.

As he approached the apartments, Zim was grateful the doors were outside and not in some fancy building. He walked up to the second level and then to his door. It seemed GIR was out, running a muck in the city somewhere he guessed. He was glad, as there was no energy left to deal with the insane robot.

After locking the door, he dropped his keys on the coffee table in the living room and headed up the stairs to the bedroom. The Irken had started sleeping when he returned to Earth, not that he had much of a choice anymore.

Zim didn't get to charge his PAK as often as needed, so he was forced to shut it down and actually sleep for a few hours every night. He knew he should make time more often for charging, but it was just such a hassle. And lately, it seemed that Zim had stopped caring about it completely. Sleep gave him the option to escape from the nightmare reality had become. Not that he dreamed at all, it was mostly just an excuse not to have to think. Or remember.

"Out of all the places on this human planet, and all of the pathetic, inferior humans in this city; Zim had to run into the Dib." Zim had landed in an are of the city he hadn't recognized, so it didn't occur to him that he was in the same place as before. Zim couldn't believe the odds. He flopped face first into one of the pillows. "And if that didn't make it awful enough, he had to find the almighty Zim _dancing_ for human _pleasure._" He spat. Talk about having some pretty shitty luck.

Before he lost complete capacity for thought, a question managed to weasel itself into his mind. Why had the Dib been _there__? _Admittedly, Zim may not have as much knowledge as he would have liked on human sexuality, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that straight males didn't go to his club. It was almost so well known, it could be a fact.

And the human had seemed so into him! It made him wonder when Dib had gotten a preference for males. And when he had come out of his shell enough to go to a club. It seemed that Zim wasn't the only one to have changed over the last few years.

Zim nearly laughed at the fact that his self proclaimed enemy was not only, practically hanging off him at the club, but probably taking guesses as to what he looked like in the humans bed. He wasn't sure if he should smirk or shudder at the thought.

He threw a pillow over his head. "Computer!" He yelled. "Turn off the lights." It did as it was told with no argument to be had. For once.

"Stupid human Dib." He muttered, rolling on his side and trying to make himself more comfortable. Having a PAK made sleeping in human beds difficult. "Stupid human attraction." He finished. _There is no way Dib would still be interested now that he knew, _was Zim's last thought before he passed out.

Luckily for him, he didn't work again until Monday night. It gave him time to catch up on some much needed sleep, and to recover from all the skin touching that occurred while he worked. It was nice, the only downside being that Zim had nothing else to occupy his time. Sure, there was GIR and occasionally he would tinker with a new idea or gadget, but for the most part Zim's days were filled with awful tv shows.

Come Monday morning, Dib was no closer to figuring anything out as he had been the other night. If anything, more questions had appeared. He couldn't decided which question needed answering first.

Much to the humans relief, there was no Zim sitting across the room from him when he got to class. He sighed as he took his regular seat. He found himself gazing out the window, in the general direction of the alien's old house.

He had to admit that although he had hoped to avoid Zim, Dib was also a bit disappointed. He hadn't been able to get Zim out of his mind, the way he moved had Dib's rational thinking held captive. Dib wanted to see him again, although it went beyond anything that would usually make sense. Also the thrill of knowing something like that about Zim when no one else in the class would have was just to exciting an offer to pass up.

He shook his head, trying to free his thoughts from the gutter. Hormones and desire could wait until the threat level was properly assessed. The first question that needed answering was simple.

Why was Zim back? Was it to complete his mission or was it for something else. Also tied into that was why had he left in the first place? That was priority number one.

Once the more serious questions were answered; there was a series of secondary questions he needed answered. Why was he so attracted to the green skinned alien? He had always been obsessed, yes. But this was a new level of weird. Next up; why was Zim working? And as a dancer better yet.

Dib knew the Irken had always hated skin on skin contact, so it seemed tremendously stupid for him to subject himself to that. Not that Dib cared or anything.

He jotted down a few notes with the information he did current hold; Zim was back. He had a new base, somewhere. Dib needed to get new spying equipment inside it. Zim was now working.

He sighed and laid his head on the desk. Mondays always sucked, but today was already dragging on slowly and the day had barley began.

His mind drifted to his confession to Gaz. When he told her, Dib had been expecting endless mocking as the best case reaction. But she hadn't seemed fazed. At all. She was a little shocked about Zim's return, but not of Dib's attraction to the alien.

She had said something about having guessed years ago that Dib would get the hots for Zim. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't argue it. He _had_ been obsessed. He _had_ followed him around, and placed spy cameras in his house. Back then his life revolved around Zim and his various plans. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised either. But denial was a powerful force.

He _was_ however, surprised that Zim seemed interested in him. He didn't think that Irkens would have any need, or interest that, would come even remotely close to sexual attraction or desire. Or he was just faking it really well. There was always that option.

Dib had spent the next couple of days trying to pinpoint Zim's location with his computer. But it seemed the alien was smarter this time. There didn't seem to be any traceable fingerprints for him to follow. It was almost hard to know if the Irken was even really back. The employment records showed nothing, it seemed Zim was being hired, and paid, underneath the table. But with a place like that, Dib wasn't surprised.

There also didn't seem to be any record of Zim owning an apartment, a car, or any sort of internet/ cable bill. Trying to locate him this way was like trying to chase squirrels around the park. After nearly two full days of research, he was finally willing to admit that he wasn't going to be able to track Zim down like this.

He smacked his head on the computer desk. It didn't seem like he had luck on his side this time. Dib debated on going to stake out the club, maybe follow the alien home. But Zim would know if the human got to close. He sighed and took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes.

It seemed there was only really one way any of this was going to get sorted out. And going over the questions, and facts, he had was not going to do it. He would have to go try and talk to Zim.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Sorry about the delay! Honestly! I've been trying to work on this chapter for a week, but school began and we dived right into it! So busy is the life of a college student. I'm still trying to figure out a rhythm here, so hold on with me a bit. I do have Mondays off! So that should hopefully help with the whole chapter writing. I also apologize for the short chapter. Anywho, I wont keep you here any longer! Go forth! Enjoy this chapter! From now on things should start to pick up. Thank you for all your reviews so far! They are wonderful! Please remember to keep sending in reviews, I need them to live. Enjoy enjoy!**

It was Thursday before Dib was able to find a night to sneak back out to the club. His father had decided to spend the previous two nights at home, which meant Dib wasn't going anywhere that late at night. He was grateful when the professor, was called away again. It meant Dib no longer had to keep up appearances.

So as soon as it was late enough, Dib headed out. He was determined to get the answers he required, and he wasn't leaving until he got them. The entire drive to the club he tried to figure out how he was going to approach the Irken.

Part of him wanted to pick up where they had left off, there wasn't much of a reason to rethink it; he was still an alien, sent to destroy Earth and Dib still needed to protect it. Nothing had changed. Except, it had.

As far as Dib knew, Zim hadn't made any further plans to take over the planet. The Irken, seemed to have changed.

The drive seemed to be shorter then he remembered, maybe it was the nerves, or the lack of traffic. Either way he was there faster then he had expected to be. It didn't take him long to find a place to park. Dib got out of the car and got in line. It would go fast, he knew. Most clubs weren't busy on weekday nights.

Once he was granted access to the club, Dib took a few steps in and gave himself a moment for his eyes to adjust to the room. He looked around and quickly spotted Zim. He was dancing on the same platform he was the other night. He held back, unable to keep himself from admiring the way the other moved, the alien was wearing the same outfit as he had been the first time Dib found him..

He took in a deep breath before approaching the platform. The crowd was thin, as to be expected. He took a seat on one of the couches up close. Dib would need to get his attention as soon as he could.

A few minutes passed before Zim even noticed who it was that had joined his small crowd. He ignored it, focusing his attention on the routine. It was after a few turns and a flip that something finally caught his eye.

The first thing he noticed was the black, scythe like hair. Zim froze. The Irken tried to ignore him as he finished up. Why did the human have to keep bugging him here, at his work? He sighed as he stood up, the last spin having brought him to the ground.

The green-skinned male turned and walked the other way, blatantly ignoring the human sitting a few feet away from him. There were things to do, filthy humans to serve. He was halfway to the backroom when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He froze instantly and felt himself stiffen. There really was no avoiding the Dib was there? Zim didn't anything, refusing to even move. Maybe if he was lucky enough Dib would give up and go crawling back into whatever hole he appeared out of. But Zim was never really that lucky was he?

He felt the grip on his shoulder tighten before Dib sucked in a breath. "Hey." The human behind him said. His voice wavered a bit as he spoke, like he wasn't quite sure of his words. If Zim was being honest, Dib sounded like he felt. But he would deny the accusation at every turn. "I need to talk to you." He began again. "I need answers." Dib's hand tightened and loosened as he spoke, before he completely released Zim from his grip.

The Irken thought about ignoring him, continuing to walk as if he really hadn't noticed Dib there, although it was far to late for that. He took in a breath of his own before standing up straighter, puffing out his chest a bit. Zim spun around on his heels. He took a moment to really look at the Dib.

The human was taller, but he knew that from the previous night. His black coat and glasses hadn't seemed to change at all, though the rest of his wardrobe seemed to. He was still skinny, but the added height made him look more so. Once the assessment was complete, he looked into the humans eyes.

"You don't seem to have changed a bit." He put his hands on his hips, smiling smugly at the human. The confidence was, mostly, false, but Dib didn't need to know that.

Dib was almost afraid the smaller male wouldn't turn around, it would have made sense for him to ignore Dib, everyone else usually did and it's not like they owed each other anything, so when he turned it almost caught him by surprise. He was shocked to notice just how girly the aliens figure actually was. It wasn't something he had picked up on before, due to the uniform, but the revealing clothes made it that much more prominent.

Zim really was smaller then him, almost to skinny to be real. That, combined with the green of his skin, captivated Dib's mind. He wanted to know how soft the skin around his waist was, what every inch of the being in front of him would taste like. He bite his lower lip, trying to contain the thoughts to just his own mind. If he wasn't careful, there was a possibility he may act on them.

"You don't look all that different yourself." A small lie. He noticed that the contacts the Irken wore were the same as the old ones, only the wig was different. And his choice of clothing. He watched as the alien tapped his foot impatiently. "Look. I know your probably...busy." He searched for the right word. Dib glanced over at a few men who were eyeing the disguised alien up and shuddered. They were double his size and for some reason the thought of them running their hands over Zim sickened him. "We can do this when you get off."

Zim tilted his head before crossing his arms. If it would stop the Dib from disturbing him during work, or ever again, he would agree to this 'meeting.' "Fine. Pick me up here at three am." He turned his head to the side, away from those amber eyes. Dib was fidgeting, he seemed...nervous? Worried? Uncomfortable? Zim couldn't tell.

He heard someone whistle, trying to get his attention. He rolled his eyes, the Irken could swear a bit of his dignity died every time it happened. "Zim needs to go attend to this _filthy_ creatures." He turned away without another word, not waiting for a response.

The teen nodded. Three am. Three hours to go. Time he couldn't just spend hanging out here. He stared after the alien, something in his gut wasn't sitting right, but why should he care? All Dib wanted was to figure out if the Earth was safe. _And maybe to get the chance to taste that delicious looking skin._ He shivered, trying to reign in his thoughts again.

After convincing himself that Zim could handle whatever was thrown at him at the club, he turned and left. He had time to take a small nap, change into some more normal clothes, maybe catch one of the horror movies playing on tv even. And then he would come back and pick up Zim. They would go...somewhere, and Dib would finally put to rest the questions he couldn't stop thinking of.

His mind kept drifting to the other possibilities, to the things that would only ever happen in his fantasies. They were enemies, and just because Dib had started having lust filled dreams about the _things_ that Zim could do to him, didn't change that fact.

But no matter how many times he repeated it mentally, the less rational side of him wanted to take Zim in the back seat of the car when he picked up the alien.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Alas! Here is the long awaited chapter! You are all such wonderful creatures with your reviews. Thank you. I hope this lives up to the hype you were all expecting. Please remember to review!**

Sitting outside the club hours later, Dib drummed his fingers on the dashboard impatiently. It was within ten minutes of when Zim said he'd be done. Despite the weirdness that seemed to occur between the two of them, Dib was excited!

For the first time since...while since Zim left, Dib found himself excited about something. The spark that used to propel him forward had turned into nothing more then a dull ache. Always serving as a reminder that there were things greater then himself out there to see, and that he was stuck in school. But it was back and he could feel it stronger then ever.

His eyes were trained on the employee exit, so when he saw Zim walk out, Dib shot up from his slouched position behind the wheel. He saw the alien stop and look around, searching for the human and his deadly Earth vehicle.

Dib waved him over before unlocking the other door. He watched as the alien hesitantly got it. It was no secret that he did not like Earth vehicles. Zim had changed into normal clothes before heading out, black tight pants, a magenta colored sweater that was slightly bigger then Zim and his boots. He had to stop himself from leaning over and pinning the Irken to the seat, it was hard, but doable.

"Where is it that we are going for this 'talk,' human?" Zim asked, crossing his arms. He refused to buckle his seat belt, he didn't believe in them. He also didn't exactly know how to use one, but that was another fact he'd deny. The human was staring at him, so when he didn't respond to Zim's question, he waved his hand in front of the others face.

Dib didn't notice he'd been staring, but quickly snapped back into reality. "Where ever really. Just not your base." He said. "Are you hungry? There are a few places I know that are still open, and the food is pretty good." He offered.

He snorted. "Zim wouldn't tell you where the new base was even if you asked." He paused to consider the food offer. It might be nice to eat something that GIR hadn't bought. "Food sounds fine."

Dib nodded and put the car into drive. It took longer then it normally took him to get there, but then he'd been going slower for the aliens sake, he was tense enough as it was. Dib sighed as they pulled into the restaurant parking lot, the drive had been silent, but he figured that was to be expected. It wasn't everyday you went for breakfast with your enemy.

Once there, the pair headed inside to grab a table. He let Zim decided where to sit, it wasn't like it mattered to him anyway. Once the spot was chosen, Dib slipped into the corner booth and Zim sat across from him.

Zim watched as Dib stared at him, his amber eyes blazing with the spark he'd been missing the last time. He hated to admit it to himself, but the human looked good. Better then any of the ones he saw while working. He also hated to admit how much he hated seeing those eyes dulled, the way they were before.

The Dib he remembered was always so full of life and questions, eager to learn and to defend. The first night he saw Dib, it had looked like someone had hollowed that out. There was no life burning inside him. Until he saw Zim again that was. The alien sighed, his antennae shifting uncomfortably underneath the wig. Watching Dib now made him feel almost normal again, almost like everything hadn't become so world-shatteringly different.

"So, human." He folded his hands together on top of the table, black gloves covering his three clawed hand. "Why have you brought Zim here?" Straight to the point.

Dib blinked a few times, he opened his mouth to respond when the waitress walked over to introduce herself and hand them both menus. She gave Dib a once over before walking away to give them time to decided.

"Why are you back?" He asked. "You left, and you were gone for so long, why even bother coming back?" He wasn't sure if the hurt he felt had leaked into his words. Dib hoped not. Before the only thing he'd had, the only thing that made him even remotely okay, was Zim. In a weird way chasing around the alien, having something that proved he wasn't crazy right before his eyes, had been the only thing keeping him stable. Even if no one else believed him.

Zim glanced up from the menu. There was something in the human's voice, just enough for Zim to notice but not enough to identify. "Zim had to come back. The mission." He paused and flicked his contact covered eyes away from Dib's gaze and back to the menu. The menu was safe, away from the accusing stare of eyes that seemed to draw him in and hold him in their depths. Don't say to much, just enough to satisfy the human.

"The mission couldn't just be abandoned." He began. "Although it's been...altered." That was enough for now.

Dib raised an eyebrow before folding up his menu. "Altered how?" Suspicion.

Zim sighed. "It's now an information gathering mission only." No destruction. No enslavement. He made up his mind, settling on a basket of fries and a chocolate milkshake.

The human paused, searching his face for any sign of deception. He had a right to, why would you trust your enemy to be truthful. But Zim wasn't deceiving him. At least not in the way he thought. "Why?" He asked.

Ever with the endless questions this human was. But Zim wouldn't have it any other way. "Because the Tallest haven't figured out what this planets use is." A half truth. Better then a lie, right? "Until that point, Zim has been sent to gather information."

The waitress came back to take their orders. Dib ended up getting a burger and a soda, and Zim the fries and milkshake. She gave Dib a flirty smile, but he didn't even pretend to notice. His eyes were fixated on indigo colored contacts.

He nodded slowly, processing the information Zim gave him. So the alien was no longer a threat? Or at least he wouldn't be for a while, Dib guessed. On to the next question. "Why did you leave in the first place?" Something he had been wondering for nearly five years.

Zim met his gaze and there it was, the pain hidden just underneath the surface. It seemed his sudden disappearance had taken it's toll on the human, more so then he ever thought it would have. But why did it? "Zim went back to the massive to discuss the fate of the planet, and my mission." He began. Which, for once, wasn't a lie. "They needed to assess Zim and my abilities before making a choice." False. "They wanted me to stay on the massive while everything got figured out." Half true. "Once it did, I was on my way back to Earth." True.

He was reminded of the game that the human offspring would play in the schools. Two truths and a lie. But with Zim is was more like all lies and an occasional truth. He'd always been a filthy liar, why stop now?

Dib nodded. Surprised at the straightforwardness of the answers. He hadn't expected that from Zim at all. For a reason he couldn't explain, he believed the alien sitting in front of him. Although he knew the Irken was smart enough not to spill his guts completely. He was holding something back, it was written in his eyes. The one advantage to their rivalry was how well they had grown to read each other. "Why not come back to school then? Why work at that club?"

Zim was caught of guard. He hadn't expected this, though he should have. "If Zim is going to be here for an unknown period of time, it's better to blend in." He explained. "Which meant getting a proper house. So getting a job was the best option." A pause as he scarfed down some of the fries, using the milkshake to wash them down. "Though trying to get hired with my _skin condition_ is a challenge. Zim needed monies and they are willing to give them to me." He shrugged. "Seemed logical."

Dib took a bite of his own burger while watching the alien. After all these year, Zim was still odd. Which Db was grateful for. He seemed satisfied with the answers given and took a swig of soda to contemplate what to do with the information.

But Zim had some questions of his own, that was for sure. "What you were doing in the club?" Zim asked, surprising Dib.

He chocked as the soda went down the wrong hole. It was only fair, he supposed, that Zim had a chance to ask things as well. But did it have to be something this awkward to explain. "While." He fidgeted with the straw. "It's just something that I do on the weekends some times." He explained.

Zim narrowed one eye, the human seemed flustered. "You seemed interested in Zim. The first night." He pointed out.

He stared blankly at Zim. There was no way the first time he outwardly admitted to somewhere he was gay, would be to Zim. His enemy. An alien. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay fine." He said eventually. "Look, I don't know how much you know about this stuff." He began. "But I was there to blow of some steam and as much as it is so not your business, it just so happens that I'm attracted to males. Alright?" He couldn't look the other in the face. Besides Gaz, Zim was now the only other person who knew. He readjusted his glasses before taking another sip of soda.

Zim leaned back thoughtfully. So he was right. Which shouldn't have been a surprise at all. He wondered when Dib had figured that out, but brushed the thought away, it wasn't important. "And out of all the places to go, you had to go to the one I work at?" Zim said sarcastically.

Dib shrugged, his face having turned red at some point during his explanation. He couldn't bring himself to meet Zim's gaze. "Almost like a bad joke." Dib added. He mentally began to process all the information gathered tonight. It put a lot of his questions to rest, thankfully, but there were still the internal things bugging him. Like why he was so attracted to Zim. And why the Irken didn't seem quit right. He shrugged, pushing the thought out of his mind. Inner turmoil could wait until another time.

He watched the alien eat for a minute. His new wig was longer then the last, hanging just into his face and covering where his ears would be. It suited him. Dib had never had a 'type' when he thought about it. But maybe it's because his 'type' had been Zim all along.

For now, he focused on the facts. The alien was on his planet, he was alone, and for the first time, was not a threat to it. He sighed, relieved and let himself relax against the back of the booth. Then a potentially life changing, universe shifting thought entered his mind.

If they both had nobody, then maybe they could begin to be friends.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Hey! Sorry this took a bit long! I now have someone to look over/ edit it (also to beat me into writing it! Yay deadlines!) So hopefully things should be on time now! Also thanks for all the reviews! They mean a bunch and I hope they keep coming! Anywho, enjoy! Remember to leave a review! **

"What?" Zim said. He hadn't expected such a suggestion to come from the human. It had seemed out of place really, even if he wasn't trying to destroy Earth, they were enemies. Human and Irken could not be 'friends.' Hell, Invaders did not have friends. Destruction, the empire, and pride were all they needed to keep themselves whole.

"If you're not trying to enslave humanity then I have no need to hunt you." He tried to explain. "It just made sense to me." Zim could see the rejection stung. The amber eyes that had been staring into Zim's very soul cast downward, towards the empty plate that sat in front of him.

It made a bit of sense, in theory, he supposed. They both seemed to be alone, Zim wouldn't have to hide from the Dib as he would with everyone else. But how could they trust each other enough to be in the others presence? Zim the relentless Irken, hell bent on proving himself and Dib, the human, defender of Earth and eager to prove he wasn't crazy.

Zim knew the minute he let his guard down he could end up in one of the Membrane labs, being cut open and having his insides spilled for all to see. Zim scoffed. "As if the mighty Zim would lower himself enough to be 'friends' with a human." His pride would surely be his downfall. "We could never be friends." Maybe in another life, but certainly not this one.

Dib flinched back a bit at the words. After the time they'd spent talking, he hadn't been expecting a rejection that hard. He sighed, it was a stupid idea and he should have known. "Whatever you say, space boy." He stood up before taking some of the cash out of his wallet and throwing it down on the table. It was enough to cover both meals and the tip. "Want a drive home, or back to the club?"

He wasn't sure why he was offering, but it felt wrong to leave the alien when Dib was the one who brought him here in the first place.

The Irken stood, brushing imaginary dirt off himself as he stood up. He didn't want Dib anywhere near his base. After eyeing the human again he walked over to the door. "The club is fine." Zim was still suspicious of Dib's intentions, it wasn't everyday that your enemy offered to drive you home.

Dib nodded and headed to the car, he didn't bother to check and make sure Zim followed him. His mind was still trying to work through his own thoughts. The human sighed, cursing his brain for over thinking everything. Rejection sucked, but it sucked even more when it came from the only person, or not person, who seemed to understand that you weren't completely insane.

Zim followed along silently. He flopped himself uncomfortably into the passenger seat and watched the other. It almost seemed like the human had deflated, reminiscent almost of an old balloon. Inside there was a twinge of guilt, but Zim pushed that down deep. No weakness, no feeling sorry for the enemy. Even if it meant the fire Zim had seen in the other's eyes vanished again.

He drove in silence, not having anything further to say to the other. As long as Zim wasn't trying to take over the planet, Dib would let him live in peace. He would just have to ignore the part of him that craved friendship with the alien, Zim was probably the only other being that he thought he could have been friends with.

Arriving at the club, the human felt his heart drop a bit while he watched Zim open the door and get out without a second thought. The door slammed shut and he watched for a moment as the Irken turned and walked away. Dib sighed, maybe things would make more sense in the morning.

Zim stopped and turned around when he heard the car drive off. Suddenly, while standing in the cold and enjoying the silence of night, he wondered if the right choice had been made. Pushing the idea down with the rest of his traitorous thoughts, he turned away from the now empty spot and began the trek back home.

The Irken had thought that maybe seeing the Dib would sort things out in his mind, but the only thing the meeting had seemed to accomplish was making him more confused. He wondered if this was how the humans felt, and if so how did they ever figure anything out? His PAK wasn't having the easiest of times trying to filter through his current thoughts and emotions. Maybe he should try to fix it again, although last time hadn't gone completely as he expected.

Working on his PAK always made him nervous, but it was something that was completely necessary. Just as computers needed to be opened up and worked on every so often, so did an Irken's PAK. Zim knew his didn't work properly. Although that information had taken a while to acquire, he had always thought this was normal, that every Irken dealt with small malfunctions like this. But damn, was he ever wrong.

His trip to the massive had helped him figure that out once and for all. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a deranged sort of smile. That trip had been very informative indeed.

His antennae twitched, having picked up the sound of footsteps not too far behind him. At first he didn't think anything of it. Sure it was late, but he was also downtown, so it wasn't anything unusual for some humans to be out and about.

It was when he noticed that they stayed exactly the same distance away from him, and turned down the same streets as him, that he got suspicious. There were no worries, for he was a trained Irken invader, the best of the best, and this was a mere human. Yes, he should have no troubles taking care of the human if it came to it.

But much to his disappointment, his follower kept his distance, not daring to try anything just yet. The Irken sighed, a fight was what he needed, something to get his blood pumping and adrenaline working. He thought better while under such circumstances, so maybe they were what he needed to sort through his thoughts.

He didn't pass many other people on the street, but there were just enough that Zim didn't want to risk it. Turning and attacking the human now could end badly. And the last thing he needed was the law enforcement looking for him.

While walking, he kept listening for the sounds coming from the being behind him. But they didn't seem to change. The speed kept consistent, only changing pace when he himself did. Once the apartment was in view he sighed. Zim would need to go to the lab and take a look at his PAK.

The human following him seemed to vanish when Zim crossed the street to his apartment, he had to resist the urge to look back, he didn't want the human to think he had even made an impact. He closed and locked the door behind him before glancing out the window. Even with his ocular implants, there was no human to be seen.

He shrugged it off before ditching his disguise on the coffee table. "Computer, take me to the lab." He commanded.

"Fine." There was an audible sigh before he was beamed to the lab, which was now conveniently located in space, a short distance away from the Earth. He brought down a cable to connect to his PAK, allowing the computer to run a few scans, before flopped himself down into one of the chairs.

Zim turned on the screen to watch as it scanned through his PAK. Hopefully it was nothing serious. He drummed his fingers impatiently, waiting was never a skill he had acquired.

After a few minutes, a message popped up, informing him that there was nothing new wrong with it.

"How could this be?" He questioned. "There has to be something wrong with it." He slammed his fist down on the console. "Run it again."

"Have you considered that this may be a possible side effect of the current problem?" The computer asked sarcastically.

He paused. "Run. The. Scan. Again." He barked out. If what the computer was saying was true... then there was no solution. His PAK was slightly defective, he knew that. He'd known that for the last few years. He also know that this was not a problem he could fix, despite his continuous attempts to fix it.

But if it was a side effect, why did it only kick in now?

The Irken sighed, it didn't make any sense. The computer had to be wrong.

"Whatever." The voice muttered again before beginning the scan.

He scowled up at the ceiling. One day he was going to fix the computer, make it more obedient. Probably the same day he was planning on trying to fix GIR again. But who knew when that would happen.

He sat at the lab for several hours, running and re-running scans, trying to make sense of the results. But nothing seemed to add up. There was no new virus, no lose connections, not even anything as simple as water damage. Previous defect considered, his PAK was just fine.

And with every failed result, Zim grew more and more impatient. "There has to be _something_!" He yelled. "Zim demands an answer!"

"Sir," the computer began. "Every scan that could be run, has been. There is nothing wrong with your PAK."

The Irken, who had been pacing in the middle of the lab, sat back down. He seemed to deflate at the words. Nothing. Not a single thing could be done about this. It meant he would have to learn to deal with the emotions that couldn't get filtered out. He pulled on the cable, disconnecting it from his PAK at last.

"Bring me back to the house." He said. The authority that had been in his voice earlier was gone. If he had to begin dealing with emotions on his own, then so be it.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Aha! Here it is! I'm not late this week! *Dances* I may be changing the updates to only Fridays, school takes up a fair bit of time as well as life things, but we shall see. I'm going to give it another week or so before I decided. I hope you enjoy the chapter! I may not respond to them. but your reviews really do mean a lot. They help so much, and it's also just nice to see that so many are enjoying this. With that in mind, please continue to review! They make my day! Really. Enjoy~!**

"Diib! Go answer the door!" Gaz yelled from somewhere in the house.

He sighed, but dragged himself away from his computer anyway. He didn't bother to change out of his pj pants, but did however throw on a loose shirt. He trudged down stairs and walked over to the front door, eager to shut up whoever it was that was beating on the door.

"What?" He asked, as the door swung open, nearly causing a smaller, green alien to fall into him. "What the hell Zim?" He yelled.

The Irken caught himself, before straightening up and brushing himself off. "Dib." He nodded towards the human.

Dib sighed. He was in no mood to put up with Zim's crap today. But he was curious as to why the 'almighty Zim' was standing on his porch. "What?" He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame.

Zim looked down to his feet, before looking up again. His insides turned, but he ignored them for now. "Zim was thinking about your offer from last night." He began. "And I have come to the decision that perhaps," he paused and took in the taller male standing before him. "Perhaps we can be...friends."

Dib stood up. He was surprised to say the least. "What changed your mind?"

Zim smirked. "Well you seemed so interested in Zim the other night. It seemed wrong to deny you the opportunity to be near me." As he spoke he took a step towards Dib, making sure to invade his personal space.

It was a few seconds before his brain caught up with what was happening, he took a step back, his face turning a light shade of red at the mention of the other night. Once there was a noticeable distance between the two of them again, he sighed. Zim had agreed to his offer! He was determined not to let the events of the last few nights ruin that for him.

"Why did you have to come all the way here to tell me that?" He asked. "You could have just called." He added.

The Irken sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "Does that mean you no longer wish to see Zim?" He gave the human a fake pout.

Dib froze. Obviously that's what Zim would think. "No, no that's not what I meant. I just-" He paused when he noticed that Zim had started laughing. "What?" Was the only intelligent response he could come up with.

Zim's laughs quieted as he stood up straight and walked passed Dib into the house, ignoring the confused looks he was being given. "Stupid human," he waved his hand as he spoke. He went over and flopped down on one end of the couch. "So what is the first thing we're doing as 'friends' then?" He asked, getting comfortable.

Dib stared at the open door, then over to Zim before closing it and spinning around. "Nothing right now." He stated. "It's Friday. I have school in an hour."

The poorly disguised Irken narrowed his eyes at the human. "Our first day as friends and you do not wish to spend it with Zim?" He put his hand over where a human heart would be. "Zim is deeply hurt." He always did have a flare for the dramatic.

Dib sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked away from Zim, mentally debating with himself over something. "Well," he began. "I guess I could skip today. But this is a one time thing." He warned. He watched as those contact covered eyes opened again, pleased with his answer. "Just wait here and let me get changed."

Without waiting for a response, he headed upstairs to get dressed. He felt a bit bad for skipping school, but it wasn't like they were actually teaching was actually a challenge for him anyway. Yes, Dib could afford to miss one day if it meant trying to secure his new friendship with the Irken invader.

As much as he didn't want to keep the other waiting, he needed a shower. Dib grabbed a towel from his room before he headed into the bathroom to shower. "Zim will just have to deal with it." He muttered, turning on the tap.

The sound of the shower turning on was unmistakable. Zim sighed and leaned back. This was going to take longer then he wanted it to, that was for sure. Then an idea popped into his mind, if the Dib was going to make him wait, then he'd take this time to snoop through the humans base. It was only fair, Dib had done it to him more times than he could count.

Without another thought, he headed up the way he had seen the human go. There were five doors to choose from. Zim shrugged, not knowing which one belonged to the Dib. He opened the first on the right and was nearly decapitated when Gaz threw something at him.

The second on the right was a closet and the one across from that Zim could tell was the bathroom. The next door on the right was, thankfully, the Dib's room. He opened the door and walked in, before closing it again.

He smirked. It was definitely the Dib's room. There were pictures of various supernatural beings, a Mysterious Mysteries poster, various pictures of creatures (some blurry and some not) and notes that seemed to hold various facts and sightings of the creatures.

Zim frowned, crossing his arms and shifting his weight. He had expected to find at least something about himself in here that he could use to embarrass the human. He flopped down on the bed to the left of the door and took another look around.

_The closet._ He had almost missed it. Almost, but not entirely. He stood up again and walked over. The closet was in the far right corner, next to the computer desk.

On the floor at the bottom of the closet, lay a bunch of boxes that looked like they'd been forgotten about. Zim guessed that they had indeed been put there for that reason. He pulled the boxes out and sat down, opening them up to (hopefully) find some of what he was after.

And he wasn't disappointment. The three boxes contained all of the information, pictures and videos that the Dib had collected about Zim over the three years their rivalry had spanned. The further in he got, Zim even discovered some notes and theories about why he had vanished in the first place.

He read through some of the old journals that Dib had kept. Some of them contained information that he, himself hadn't even noticed. Some of the stuff he knew 'favors the red fun dip like snack.' But it was things like 'He puts the right boot on first, but zips the left one first' or 'makes clicking sounds when frustrated or angry.' His antennae twitched as he read, finding the things that Dib noticed about him interesting.

Zim questioned how the human managed to get some of the pictures he had, but shrugged it off. When he reached the stuff Dib wrote about after Zim left, he felt a little...guilty perhaps about leaving. Zim shook his head, it had to be done. He read as Dib began to give up any hope of finding Zim or figuring out his motives for just up and leaving.

As people began to forget about the Irken, it seemed, the human had begun to question how much of it had actually happened. After two long, long years, Dib had given up, packing the things away. To do what with? It appeared the human didn't even know. As he dug through, he set various things of interest on the ground around him. Effectively making the humans room more of a disaster then before.

When Dib figured he'd left the alien in his house alone for long enough, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. At some point, he had heard the door slam behind Gaz as she presumably left for school, so there wasn't much of a reason to worry anymore.

Dib had a good feeling about the day as he headed down the hallway and opened the door to his room. He shut it behind him before reaching for the glasses he left on his desk. When Dib spun around again, he almost chocked.

"What the hell are you doing?" He yelled.

Zim didn't look up, but flicked his antennae as a way of acknowledgment. He had ditched his disguise at some point while reading and was no lounging on the human's bed.

Dib walked over and snatched the book out of the aliens grasp. "I leave you alone for twenty minutes and you go snooping through all my stuff?" Dib crossed his arms, clearly annoyed with the other.

Zim turned his gaze to the human, ready to argue that that's what Dib used to do when he caught sight of the human's lack of clothing. He opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Nice...towel?" He said, giving Dib a mocking look.

He raised an eyebrow before catching on. Dib's face turned red. "Get out so I can get changed." Dib turned his gaze away from the Irken on his bed. The same feelings from the other night rose up and he had to fight them down. The smaller Irken just looked so _good_ lounging on his bed. And that smirk! How was he supposed to think properly when Zim looked at him like that.

From the corner of his eye, he caught Zim giving him a fake pout before sighing and standing up. The alien stood next to him for a moment and raised his arm. He opened his mouth to say something, before closing it, dropping the arm and sighing.

He heard the door open and close as Zim left. Dib let out a sigh of relief. He turned to judge the state of the room.

All of his carefully collected data was spread on the floor. "I'll clean it up later." He sighed again before going over to throw on a black tee, black pants and his trench coat. A quick brush of his hair sent the previously limp piece of hair sticking back up. Some things never changed.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Hello! Yes, this is late and I am so, so sorry. I've been busy with school and other various life things so it took a little longer then it should have to get this up and running. BUT! It is here now, so that's all that matters. I'm going to try for two chapters on Friday to make up for it, but we shall see how that goes really. Anywho, thank you to everyone who continues to read it (despite my lack of ability to update on a regular basis!) You are much appreciated and I thank you all. Also thank you so much to everyone who reviews; they are seriously so entertaining to read. Without further delay; here is the next chapter! Remember to keep reviewing!**

After stopping the destruction Zim was causing to his kitchen while hunting for snacks, Dib decided to drag him out with the promise of snacks. He hadn't really thought out what, exactly, he wanted to do with the alien (what did friends even do anyway?) but he figured if he wanted to keep his house in one piece, it would be better not to leave him there any longer.

Zim had complained, at first, but being bribed by delicious food, even if it was human, was enough to get him to shut up and agree. They drove around for a while until ending up back at the diner from the other night. Dib had a suspicion that it may become a frequently visited place with the aliens new formed addiction to milkshakes.

They sat in the same booth as last time, both drinking their milkshakes- chocolate for Zim and vanilla for Dib.

"So what is it that human 'friends' do anyway?" Zim asked, taking another sip through the straw.

Dib watched him as he did. No matter what the Irken said, he clearly liked the milkshake. "Well..." the human began. He had to pause to think about it. "They do things together. Things like this" he motioned to their current activity. "And going to the movies and the mall. They...go bowling." He was stretching now. The truth was, Dib had no idea what friends did. "Some humans play games at each others houses, watch movies, sleepover." Now he was listing off activities seen in movies.

Zim eyed him for a moment, the indigo contacts revealing little emotion. "You want to 'hang out' in Zim's base?"

Dib shrugged. "I guess. It's better than my house. Pissing off Gaz is never a good idea." He paused. "Specially if you want to keep your limbs intact."

The Irken seemed to consider this for a moment, stopping to take another sip of the shake. "I suppose Zim can grant you entrance to the new and improved base." Silence. "But if there is even one spy device found afterwards, Zim will be forced to destroy you."

Dib nodded, smirking lightly at the old threat. "We'll go whenever you're ready then." He said, finishing off the last of his milkshake.

The Irken nodded, taking a few minutes to finish off his own drink before standing up. He was wary of letting the human into his base so soon, but he did agree to try out this 'friendship' so Zim figured he should at least make an effort. The human stood up and they headed to the car.

Zim didn't think he would ever accept the fact that the human had outgrown him, never minding that he had grown more than Irkens usually did anyway. He would find someway to be taller then the other, that was a fact.

"We have two options." Dib began. "We can go back to my place and grab some of the video games there, or we can rent some from the store." Dib paused and turned to the alien before turning the key in the ignition. "Do you even have a system to play games on?"

The Irken scoffed. "Of course, human. The technology in Zim's base should be able to play your human games just fine." He crossed his arms, as if insulted. His technology was superior in every way, how could it not run stupid human things? "Do whatever is easiest." Zim finally answered, not caring either way.

The human sighed, before turning on the signal light and headed back towards his house. He stopped the car on the side of the street and left it running. It was a matter of minutes before the human climbed back into the car holding a small bag.

"I didn't know what you'd like. So I grabbed a bit of everything." He shrugged and tossed it into the back. "So how do I get to your base anyway?"

After a half hour of failed directions and wrong turns, Dib pulled into the guest parking at Zim's loft type apartment. "_This_ is where you live now?" The human asked, surprise clear in his voice.

The Irken nodded, exiting the car and leading the other to his apartment. "This is where Zim has lived for the last six months." He explained.

Once the door was unlocked, Dib walked in. He was surprised to find that the inside was more normally decorated then his old house, although there were still magenta and purple accents in the room.

The living room contained a big tv mounted on the wall, a coffee table and two couches. Past that was a staircase, leading up to a second level which hovered over the kitchen. It was a nice place and Dib couldn't help but wonder how much it costed. And if it was as expensive as he thought, how much did Zim pull in from the club?

The thought of Zim at the club brought a blush to Dib's face. He couldn't help it, really. The image of the Irken leaned over him, in those clothes...well, they invaded his mind and there didn't seem to be any way to get them out. Not that he wanted to.

"Wow." Was all the human ended up saying.

Zim was leaning against the now closed door, smiling smugly. "It, like everything else of Zim's, is perfect."

Dib opened his mouth to argue, but when he looked the invader up and down he realized that Zim may not be all wrong. Instead, he decided to ask; "Where's your lab? There's no way it's in this apartment."

Zim smirked again. "Currently floating on the edge of Earth's atmosphere. There's a teleporter to get there."

Dib walked around the bottom floor of the apartment before nodding to himself and flopping down on the couch directly across from the tv. "The base is disguised right? It's not just floating around the atmosphere undisguised?"

Zim unhitched himself from the wall and walked over to sit across from the human. "Do you really think Zim is that stupid?" He sneered. "It's cloaked. Undetectable with human technology." He stated. "You should know better than to underestimate me, human."

Said human kept his gaze off the Irken sitting next to him, he should have guessed as much. "So are we going to stay here, or head to the lab?" He asked, changing the topic.

Zim eyed him, he didn't trust the human enough to show him the lab. Giving him access to all of his technology was a bit much for right now. Zim stood up and began to head to the kitchen for snacks."We stay here for now." He paused in front of Dib, not wanting to pass up an opportunity to make the human squirm. The Irken leaned over the taller human, placing his hands on either side of his head.

"But if you're a good, little human, I may show you the base later." He gave the human a sly grin and held the position for a few seconds. Dib blushed, his brain kicked into overdrive trying to come up with a response.

Zim straightened back up, and continued to the other room. Dib stared at the space the other just occupied before he was able to speak. "What?" Nothing the other said seemed to make sense. Dib's mind began calling up images that he really didn't need right now.

The Irken smirked to himself as he stared at the open cupboard, considering the snack choices carefully. "Feel free to set up whatever it is you need." He called, choosing a bag of what looked like Irken chips and walking back.

The human managed to set everything up without much trouble as Zim looked on approvingly. Dib popped in a disk and handed the second controller to the alien sitting next to him.

"I figured you'd like this game more than others." Dib began. "Being an alien bent on world conquest and all."

He clicked the start button and the game menus popped up. He had chosen a zombie survival game, figuring the other would enjoy the senseless violence, destruction and gore that came along with it.

Zim grinned, his desire for chaos clear on his face. When Dib caught sight of it, he couldn't help but smile, the alien looked the happiest when he was causing some sort of mayhem- even if only virtual.

They played for a few hours. Dib has died a few sometimes, only once or twice from hunger or being caught of guard, mostly for being sacrificed so the alien could get away in a tough situation. Although he wanted to be annoyed, he couldn't bring himself to be. So he faked it.

"If you really_ were_ better at the game then me, you wouldn't keep throwing me to the zombies." Dib set the controller down and leaned back, crossing his arms. He hadn't realized it while they were playing, but he was hungry. It had been a few hours since leaving his house and Dib was pretty sure he hadn't eaten since the night before. Might be a good time to make his exit.

Zim dropped his controller on the couch next to him. "I do it because it's funny." One antennae raised, catching the sound of the humans stomach complaining for food. "Are you alright, human?" He asked.

It took a second for him to pick up on what the alien meant. "Oh. Yeah. Hungry I guess." He stood up. "On that note I should probably go home, get something to eat, y'know?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks. For this." He motioned towards the tv.

Before the human could take a step, Zim shot up. "Wait!" He said a little louder than intended. "Zim could order you food, so you wouldn't have to go back to your pathetic human life just yet." He was quiet for a moment. "If you wanted." He couldn't explain why, but the thought of the Dib leaving already made his insides flip. Zim also knew how much Dib couldn't stand being at his house.

He stood up straighter and brushed imaginary lint off the sweater he was wearing. Dib watched him for a moment, completely caught off guard by the offer. He dropped his arm and gave the other a smile. "I'd like that." There was a pause. "What's around here to order?"

Zim relaxed once the offer had been accepted, suddenly feeling more relaxed about the situation. "There should be some menus in a drawer in the kitchen. Gir collects them and Zim only keeps them around because ordering food seems to distract him."

Dib snickered and headed to the other room to search for said menus.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Hello again! Here's the update with the new chapter! I hope you all enjoy! Things _are_ progressing! You're reviews are literally the best! Thank you! Enjoy and remember to leave a review!**

After a twenty minute debate about Dib's choice of Chinese; the food had been ordered. The pair were hanging out and watching some movie that Dib had found on tv. Isn't wasn't the best, by any means, but it was a horror movie that featured human violence. So of course Zim was entranced by it, even despite how obviously fake it was.

At some point, it had grown dark out and Dib had thought to turn off the lights, more out of habit then anything. Horror movies were always better in the dark. A knock on the door managed to make the ever paranoid Dib jump. He really just hadn't been expecting it.

Dib pulled out his wallet and stood up. He handed the food to Zim, who had come up to stand behind him, before counting out the total and giving a generous tip to the driver.

"Why did you get so _much_ food?" Zim asked, opening a few of the containers and poking at it.

Dib smiled again. "I got some extra. Just encase you wanted some." As he went to close the door, a figure on the other side of the street caught his eye. Admittedly, they were well hidden, he really only noticed them because of his history with hunting the paranormal. He got good at spotting things that were trying to hide. He closed the door, acting like he'd never seen whoever it was.

"There's someone watching the building." He informed the invader.

One of the Irkens antennae twitched up as he shoved some noodles into his mouth. He really had been curious about the Chinese food, and it wasn't half bad, for human food. "What did they look like?" He asked, recalling the incident from the other night.

Dib shrugged. "Can't tell. Too dark. Looks like they may have a hood over their face also." He took another look through the peek hole in the door.

Zim set the utensil down and walked over, casually peeking out through the curtain. Whoever it was seemed to know how to hide their face... A chill ran through Zim's spine. He was being stalked.

But why? He let the curtain close again and walked back over to the couch. "This isn't the first time." He admitted to the human.

Dib followed, flopping back down in his spot. "What?"

He sighed. "Zim was followed home the other night by a human. It's probably the same one." A pause. "At first I thought it was you."

Dib wanted to protest, but it was a fair assumption, given their history. "How many people have you pissed off recently?" He asked, a smirk on his face, he couldn't help it, Zim did have that effect on people.

Zim glared at him, deciding to take the rest of the noodles as payment for Dib's mocking, leaving the human with none. He stuck out his tongue, before hitting play on the movie. They would figure it out later.

After a few days, it became a habit. Dib would come over after school on days Zim was off. They would hang out, get dinner and watch something together. Unbelievably, it seemed as if they were becoming normal friends, in a span of a week, there were only a few more sightings of the mystery figure. Once Dib had went out to confront it, to find the person had vanished.

And it was a few days after that when it became undeniable to Dib; he had feelings for Zim. It was a Wednesday night and the two were on different couches. The tv was playing a movie neither cared about, Zim was fiddling with his newest invention; something to try and decode all human emotions, and Dib was doing homework.

It was strange, in all the time spent together, he hadn't seen Zim once in his uniform. The Irken still talked about ruling the Earth, but no mentions of his Tallest, or his mission came up. Dib began to wonder if there was more to the others story then he was telling.

He pushed his homework aside and sighed. Confronting the alien directly would result in a fight, and he just wasn't in the mood for that. "I need a break." He stood up and stretched out. "Want to do something?"

Zim tried once more to make the device work. When it clicked at him in response and did nothing. "Fine." He growled, tossing the device to the other side of the couch.

Dib raised an eyebrow at him. "What is that thing anyway? You've been working on it for days." Zim crossed his arms and leaned back against the couch.

"It's none of your business." Was his response.

Dib sighed. "Don't be angry with me because you can't get it to work. I assume that's why you've taken it apart more times than I can count."

Zim shot him a glare. "And it's not Zim's fault the machine won't work. It's the stupid human technology in it." He shot the device a glare as well. "If I could get what I needed instead of having to substitute it, it would be working in no time."

"Mhm. Blame the technology." Dib headed into the kitchen to grab a soda. Dib had ended up stocking Zim's fridge and cupboards with some basic human snacks and food after one incident where the alien caught Dib enjoying an Irken snack and soda. He ended that night with a few bruises and a semi deep scratch on his chest. He didn't make that mistake again.

He popped the tab and walk back into the living room. He picked up the device Zim had been working on and looked over it a few times. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to do; it seemed like it would give off some sort of readings, but for what?

"It's supposed to read human emotions." The Irken said, keeping his gaze on the human. "Right now it doesn't seem to _do_ anything." He shot another glare at the device before Dib put it down. An idea occurred to him and he walked past Zim and over to the door where he had dropped his bag. Dib rummaged through for a few seconds before pulling out his note book and walking back over.

"I could maybe help with it." He said, shrugging. "If you want."

Zim was silent for a moment while he considered it. It _would_ make things easier to have an actual human to test things on, and Dib did have a relatively high intelligence. "Maybe." was all he said.

He was flipping through the pages. He wasn't paying attention as he tried to pass Zim, soda in hand and hit the corner of the couch with his leg. Startled, he accidentally dumped soda in the Irken's lap. Dib froze and lowered the notebook.

Zim glared at Dib and then his lap for a few seconds before it seeped through his clothing and began to burn. He narrowed his eyes further and stood up without a second thought. He turned around and stomped up stairs to change, muttering things like: "Stupid, idiot human," and, "Just be happy that Zim doesn't vaporize your big head."

"I'm sorry!" Dib called out as he left. He did feel kind of bad, although a small part of him wanted to snicker, just a little, for old times sake. He sighed and sat on the other side of the couch, setting what was left of the soda down and picking up the device. Dib scribbled a few notes down about the parts as he took it apart. He looked over each piece before putting it back together again. He hit the button and scanned himself, taking more notes when it clicked and did nothing else.

He was so focused on the task at hand, Dib didn't notice when Zim came back into the room. It was only when he felt the weight on the couch change that he looked up.

When he did, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Zim had come back in a magenta tee. The shirt was obviously too big, just going to mid-thigh. The neck of the shirt sat to the right, exposing his shoulder, and the sleeves were double the size of normal.

"H-hey." He tried to choke out. He wasn't sure where to look, his eyes kept drifting over the small Irkens frame. Mostly though, he kept drifting to the bottom hem of the shirt. Damn was it _short!_ But at the same time Dib couldn't get over how good it looked on him.

"What are you looking at?"

He tried to say something, but shook his head; the only thing he was thinking right now was haw bad he wanted to bend the Irken over the coffee table. "Uhh. N-nothing."

Zim narrowed an eye at him. The way the human was staring at him made is insides feel all fluttery. But he had no idea what it mean. All Zim could tell was the human seemed to be having problems thinking...and that he wanted Dib to look at him like that _all _the time.

Dib blinked again, struggling to take his eye off where the shirt ended and how great it made him look. From the corner of his eye, he saw the beginning of a new movie start to play on tv.

"Hey look!" He said, changing the subject. "Want to watch another horror movie, this one's got zombies in it?"

Zim turned his eyes to the tv. "Alright." When he came back, he had still been angry at the human for burning him with soda; but with the way Dib kept glancing at him, he felt that vanish.

Zim, as it turned out, was more scared of zombie movies then he liked to admit, Dib wondered if it had anything to do with his first Halloween on Earth and how horribly that had went. Regardless, over the course of the movie he found that the Irken had slowly moved closer to him, under the guise of obtaining more food of course.

About three quarters of the way through, he felt the alien leaning against him for comfort. The human wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around Zim and pull him onto his lap; but he didn't. Although things seemed alright between the two of them currently, it couldn't be guaranteed they would stay that way. He settled, instead, for casually leaning closer to the other.

Dib wanted to ignore how the contact with Zim was making him feel, he wanted to ignore how distracting Zim's clothing choice was as well. He kept telling himself that they weren't at that stage yet, he couldn't afford to blow it. He tried to keep all his attention turned to the screen. It seemed that trying to predict where the next zombie would pop up was just enough to keep him occupied.

Zim turned his gaze from the movie to the human he was leaning against. Amber eyes shone with concentration as the human watched the movie. The Irken felt like he could stare into those eyes forever, if the human would allow it. They captivated him in a way others did not.

The alien was so busy concentrating on the human that when the movie went quite, he glanced over to figure out what had happened. For a few seconds there was nothing on the screen, but before he could look away, the camera panned and landed on an entire hoard of snarling zombies.

Zim screeched and jumped into Dib's lap, hiding his face in the others chest. His antennae were pressed flat against his head and he grabbed the front of Dib's shirt. He had been so widely unprepared for the zombie scene.

Dib lifted his arms at the feeling of the alien diving into his lap. When it seemed that the smaller male had gotten comfortable, Dib let his arms hang loosely around his back.

"Scared?" He teased, looking at the curled up Irken in his arms.

Zim peeked up at him. "No."

"Riiight..."

Zim lifted his head. "Zim is not scared. He was simply unprepared." The alien stated. Dib laughed again, ignoring his protests. He straightened his back and made himself more comfortable in the humans lap. Dib's arms hung comfortably on the others lower back.

"Zim is too amazing to be scared by a pathetic hu-"

Dib cut him off, placing his lips over the Irken's.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hello! Firstly, thank you to all the people who comment and stuff on this continuously. You are fantastic. And hey! I even managed to finish something on time! Go me! Anyway, without further hold up I say go forth and enjoy this chapter; for it is filled with wonderful chaptery goodness. (People need to stop letting me do things at 4am.) Anywho, please keep reviewing! It makes everything easier to write (And sometimes it even sparks ideas for new things based on the comments.) I hope you all have a fantastic...whatever time of day it is! Enjoy!**

Before Zim could really react, Dib pulled away. He looked away from the alien on his lap, a blush on his face. He hadn't meant to do that, really. But with that shirt, _and_ Zim sitting in his lap, it couldn't be helped.

It took a moment for the Irken to process what had just happened. He'd seen humans do it all the time. If he remembered properly, it was supposed to be some sort of mating ritual. Zim narrowed is eyes at the human. How _dare _he touch Zim like that.

"Do not put your filthy germs on Zim!" He yelled, getting up off Dib.

Dib whipped his head back. "You were the one that got on my lap!" He yelled back, standing up. "Silence!" The human was a bit taller than him, which only fueled the anger, especially when said human was using that height to his advantage. "Pathetic _human_," he spat.

Dib narrowed his eyes. He did expect anger from the other, he was not putting up with his. "Listen to me space freak-"

He swiped forward with a clawed hand and connected with the side of Dib's face, leaving three, long cuts across his left cheek. They were deep, maybe deeper than Zim had intended to make them, but at the moment he didn't care. Zim wasn't letting a human, a creature far below himself, talk to him like that.

Pain. The first thing he felt was pain, and then the blood running down his face. "What the fuck!" He yelled. "What the hell is your problem?" Dib was furious. He needed something to stop the bleeding. He took a quick look around and upon finding nothing, pulled off his shirt, balled it up, and pressed it to his face.

He had been injured like this before by the alien, if not worse. Their previous fights had gotten pretty intense, but back then Dib was expecting it. Hell, he may have even deserved it. But all he did was kiss the stupid moron in front of him.

"Do not interrupt Zim." The Irken stood defiantly, arms crossed and back straight.

He glared at the Irken while trying to put enough pressure to make his face stop bleeding. It felt like his stomach was being squeezed and twisted. He was shocked that Zim had done something like this to him after how the last week or so had been. He shouldn't have been, but he was; the alien was clearly insane.

He pulled the shirt away from his face; it was most likely ruined with the amount of blood on it. He sighed, the bleeding had slowed, but he would need to give himself stitches. When he looked at the Irken and found a lack of remorse, something snapped inside the human.

He shoved passed the smaller alien and grabbed his stuff before shoving it into his backpack. Dib put his coat back on and did it up before turning and leaving silently.

Zim dropped his arms, his antennae falling from an aggressive stance to a more relaxed one. He hadn't expected the human to leave; he'd delivered more devastating injuries in the past. Zim had seen the evidence of those fights on the human.

When Dib had taken off his shirt, Zim could see the scars that those fights had left behind. The Irken had fared out better; mostly because Irkens healed faster then humans. Instead of feeling good, like he usually did when he 'won' a fight, Zim felt a bit guilty.

Maybe he shouldn't have reacted that badly? Maybe he shouldn't have swiped at the Dib like he had? He sighed and dropped back onto the couch; his body sagging a bit as he did.

It wasn't his fault. The human shouldn't have done that to Zim. He had no right to touch him like that. He kept repeating that himself, but it didn't seem to be convincing him. Zim wanted to know if the human was alright, but Zim didn't apologize. So instead; he did nothing.

Dib flung the front door open and stormed inside. Thankfully he had the car today or getting home would have been agonizing. He headed to his room to grab the first aid kit. It wasn't the standard kit; Dib had altered it shortly after the fights with Zim began.

Mostly cause going to the hospital was out of the question with the kind of injuries he had, and how often he had them. But also because some of the injuries he got from the alien needed special care. Most of the stuff had been stolen from his father'.,ls lab, but other stuff he had bought.

Dib took the kit into the bathroom and shut the door. The first step was cleaning off the wound, the next was disinfecting it. He swore under his breath, that shit stung.

Once that was done, Dib was able to take a look at the wound. It was deep, but luckily he didn't think it was going to scar. He pulled out a small device, reminiscent of a stapler, and activated it. After a few more times the scars were closed up, although still ugly looking. They cuts would be prominent for a week or so, before they began fading and eventually disappeared altogether.

The human sighed and cleaned up the bathroom, before heading back to his room to sulk. He held up the shirt and examined it.

The shirt had been totally ruined, there was no doubt there. But Dib was a little sad to see it go, it had been his favorite one. He tossed it towards the garbage can before taking a seat in the computer chair.

He spun around a few times and stared up at the ceiling. He'd known forever that Zim had violent tendencies, and it wasn't exactly unheard of for the alien to attack somebody. But he really had hoped that they had developed some kind of friendship, and that maybe that meant Zim would be nicer to him.

"Wrong again." He reached out and grabbed the computer desk, effectively stopping the spinning. Dib opened up his laptop and pulled out the homework he had been trying to do earlier.

Since his reconnect with the alien, he had been pushing most of his school work to the side in favor of spending time with the other. Now seemed like a good time to get to work on the ever growing pile.

When he finally finished, it was just after eleven pm. Dib yawned and stretched out, standing up from his chair. He quickly checked his phone, but unsurprisingly there were no messages. Not that he really expected any different.

While Zim did text him occasionally; it wasn't like the alien was known for sucking up his pride and admitting he was wrong. Dib tossed the phone back onto his desk and took off his pants before crawling into bed. It was probably good that he was getting the rest. Usually he stayed at Zim's until late so by the time he got home, the human was usually pretty tired. Within minutes he was fast asleep; completely missing it when his phone chimed.

Zim was laying in bed, the blanket wrapped around him forming some sort of nest. He held out the disguised Irken communication device. After moping and watching tv for a few hours, Zim had noticed that the human had left one of his text books on the couch. He had also managed to get blood on Zim's couch.

But the Irken had taken it upon himself to text the human to inform him. It was nothing more than that; he just didn't want the Dib knocking on his door later to get it. Or that's what he wanted to believe anyway.

The truth was, Zim found himself feeling lonely for the first time since Dib had started coming over. It was an easy way to distract himself from the things he didn't want to remember when the human was here to bother him.

The alien sighed and checked his phone again. It had been just over an hour since he sent the first text. He was trying to be patient; Zim didn't want Dib getting angry again, but it was hard. He rolled onto his stomach before dropping the device on the bed next to him.

It was a possibility the human was asleep, so maybe once he noticed the phone going off he'd respond, right? Right or wrong it was what Zim was choosing to believe. The Irken didn't even notice when he drifted off to sleep, making sure to keep the device close as he did.

It had been two days since the incident and Dib was still refusing to speak to Zim. The alien had sent out a few texts but still; there was silence.

By now he knew there was no way the Dib hadn't noticed the texts, he was clearly being ignored.

"Stupid, infuriating _human_!" He spat, pacing around the living room. There was only an hour before Zim had to head to work and he was debating going to the human's house to confront him again. School was over by now and given the amount of time Dib had spent at Zim's over the last two weeks, he clearly had nothing better to be doing.

"I should have destroyed him years ago." After work. He would go and confront the human after he got off, no matter if the Dib liked it or not.

Dib had com downstairs in search of snacks; he'd been ignoring Zim for the past two days, hoping that maybe he would learn some kind of lesson from it. He figured he'd send the green moron a text tomorrow, inviting him to do something possibly.

But he was going to make the best out of tonight, even if he really wanted to be with the irritating Irken.

"What are you still doing here?" A voice asked from behind him.

Dib froze as he reached for a can of soda, he hadn't even been aware that Gaz was here. "I, uh." He stood up, soda in hand and rubbed the back of his neck. Hopefully he'd be able to get out of this without another injury to add to the one of his face. "I just wanted a soda. I ran out of snacks upstairs." He closed his eyes and gave her a half smile. "I was just on my way back up, so you wont hear me at all if you just let me go now..." he trailed off.

"No you idiot. I meant in the house." A pause. "Shouldn't you be out at your boyfriends or something?" She crossed her arms and leaned against one of the counters.

Dib glared at her. "First, he's not my boyfriend." She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Second," Dib pointed to my face. "He did that last time I was there. So I'm ignoring him for a few days."

"What did you expect from a psychotic alien?" She asked. "Look, I'm going to keep this short but you hang around with him because he's different. And that also includes him being crazy, erratic and whatever else you see in him."

Dib opened his mouth to deny liking Zim at all, especially after the shit he pulled, but was quickly silenced.

"I'm not done." She stated. "I don't know what kind of crap you idiots have going on, but you're both just that, idiots." A pause. "What I'm saying is go and make up with your gay alien lover and stop moping around the house. You're killing my gaming vibe."

With that, she walked out of the room, ignoring any further protest from her moronic brother.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Hello! Welcome to the next chapter! And look! On time this week! Woo! Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to review! Comments are much welcomed! I hope you enjoy and remember to review!**

At school the next day; Dib was having problems focusing. He wanted to talk to the Irken, but he wasn't sure that he should. So when the bell rung signaling that Dib was free for the weekend, he couldn't be happier.

After packing his bag and swinging it over his shoulder he headed out and began the walk home. Gaz had sent him a text saying she was going to be doing some gaming related thing after school and not to bother waiting for her.

The human didn't mind though; it meant he could make himself dinner and hang out in the living room tonight. Dib flopped down on the couch and turned on the tv before pulling out the homework from the day.

Dib worked on homework until about six. And after cooking a small pasta dinner for himself he sat down to enjoy one of the classic alien movies that was playing on tv; troubles mostly forgotten.

That was, until a knock on the door brought him slamming back into reality. He shot a glare to the side before sighing and standing up. It was a rare occasion that anyone came to visit the Membrane house; with the main two inhabitants being mostly outcasts and the third never being at home.

He swung the door open and crossed his arms, staring down at the small Irken on his door step. It was eerily reminiscent of the time Zim came back to tell him he was reconsidering the friendship idea.

"What do you want?" Dib was in no mood to deal with the other right now. The scars were mostly gone by now, but three faint lines were still barely visible.

Zim shifted his weight back and forth; shoulders pushed back and head up to make himself appear taller. Always with the height insecurities he was.

"Zim just came to see if the Dib was still alive." He began, struggling to find the words. "You never responded so Zim began thinking you had contracted the human sickness and died."

Dib raised an eyebrow. If this was an apology, it was a shitty one at best. "Yeah. Okay." He paused. "As you can see, I'm clearly fine. Minus the claw marks you left on my face." He spat the last part. "If you'll excuse me, I have a movie to finish." He began to shut the door, not wanting to hear anything more the alien had to say.

"Wait!" Zim reached forward to stop the door. "Perhaps Zim acted a bit rashly." He said.

Dib scoffed. "A bit?" He yelled. "You clawed my face! I soaked that shirt with blood! And you think you overreacted by a _bit_?"

Zim looked down, trying to collect his thoughts. "Zim didn't know-"

"Bullshit." Dib interrupted. "You knew what you were doing." He kept his eyes on the other. "Leave."

Zim looked up, eyes wide. "But I-"

"Leave before I grab the water gun alien scum." His voice leaked with venom.

Zim took an involuntary step back. It had been a while since the human had threatened him so violently. There was only one way this was going to get any better and the Irken was going to have to suck up a lot of pride to do it.

"Do you not believe me?" Dib asked. "I'll do it you know. A little bit of pay-"

"I'm sorry!"

The human froze mid-sentence. "You...what?"

"I'm sorry." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Zim didn't mean to react that way."

Dib tilted his head to the side. An apology? An actual apology? No way! He crossed his arms.

"But you deserved it!" Was the next thing out of his mouth.

The human sighed, letting himself relax. This was the best he was going to get, he knew it. It was amazing the other had even been able to make himself say the words. "It happens again and I throw you into a pool."

The smaller male nodded, keeping his eyes locked on the human. He wouldn't say it, but he was glad Dib had accepted his apology. Things weren't the same without the other around. "So what's on tv?" He asked, inviting himself in.

Another sigh. "Old alien movies." He snickered. "This is what some humans thought aliens might look and act like." He said.

Zim flopped onto the couch and observed as one of the aliens stalked it's human prey, acidic saliva dripping as it moved. He cringed. "Humans are stupid."

Dib dropped onto the other side of the couch. "It's entertaining at least."

Zim shrugged. "And you wonder why Zim thought this dirtball needed to be destroyed."

Dib turned to look at him. "How long is it safe for anyway?" He asked. "You never gave me any specifics."

Zim tensed up. "Whenever the Tallest decided to do something with it." He flinched at the words.

Dib narrowed an eye questioningly, catching the reaction but saying nothing else. They watched another twenty minutes of the movie in silence.

"The voot needs some basic repairs done." Silence. "If you want to help."

Dib tilted his head towards the other. "What made you offer?"

Zim shrugged. "Better than watching bad Earth movies?" It sounded more like a question then an answer.

"When do you want to get started?"

"We should be at the apartment for eleven. It might take more than a few hours and Zim wants an early start."

Dib nodded. "I'll get breakfast."

"Can Zim sleep here tonight? The trip back is long and-" Yawn. "Zim is tired."

"Fine." Sigh. "You can take my bed. I'll sleep down here. Don't want to take a risk of Dad coming up and finding you with no disguise."

Zim nodded. "That's acceptable."

Once upstairs in the humans room, Zim took the opportunity to look up the feelings he kept experiencing. According to what he was able to find; he had been experiencing attraction to the human. Although it all made sense, he wanted to run a few experiments for himself; to answer this once and for all. Tomorrow would be the perfect time to start.

Zim was sitting on the couch, his foot tapping impatiently as Dib showered and got ready. He woke up before the human, naturally, and had come down hoping he'd be awake. But the sight that greeted Zim was one he had not been expecting.

Dib had kicked the blankets off in his sleep. Paired with him only sleeping in a pair of loose pj pants that had managed to slip down his hips as he slept and tousled hair; Zim froze.

The Irken could feel his blood pumping faster, his face heating up and an uncomfortable warm feeling surging throughout him. It was a good few minutes before the alien was able to force himself to move again.

After shaking the human awake and yelling at him to hurry up; he was left with a mind full of confusion. He crossed his arms. What was happening to him? He kept feeling things for the human. But trying to identify them on his own, but there was little progress made there.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Dib asked as he reentered the room. Zim snapped his head up, not having heard the human approaching.

"Snacks." He replied.

There was something off about the alien, but Dib knew better then to question his erratic and strange behavior. Instead he shrugged and grabbed his keys.

Dib stopped to get them doughnuts and himself a coffee on the way. Zim happily ate the snacks in the car.

The human parked and followed the alien into the apartment. Zim shed his disguise, throwing it into a random corner before heading to the cleverly disguised teleporter. Upon reaching the other side, Dib was stunned. He had only been to this base once, not that he'd had any time to look around

Zim snapped his fingers. "We have work to do. Tour later."

"Fine." Dib followed the Irken obediently, but made sure to take in all he could as they walked to the ship repair room.

There, the voot sat; hooked up by many various cables to the computers. "Okay!" The Irken clapped his hands together. "You are familiar with Irken ships, yes?"

Dib nodded. "I have Tak's ship. Remember?"

Zim's antennae twitched. "You still have that thing?" Again, Dib nodded. "Interesting." He watched as the human shrugged and wondered around, looking at all the tools and equipment. "First things first. I need to begin the preparations to install a new and improved interface."

"Which means I need you to connect a few cables underneath the ship." Zim stated.

Dib whipped around. "I don't know why I expected any different."

Zim ignored the comment before walking over and picking up the small tablet device that was laying on the workbench next to the ship. He climbed in and took a seat in the pilot's chair. "Zim needs to make alteration to the computer, and unless you are fluent in Irken then I see no other way to do this."

Dib sighed. "Alright fine. I need access to the tools."

Zim typed in a few commends and a few tools connected to cables descended from the ceiling. He began typing in a few commands. "Once the wires are connected I can begin upgrading the new upgrades."

Dib nodded. "That's it?"

Zim paused. "Well, no. Once that's done I'll need you to replace one of the computer drives. It can only be accessed from underneath." He paused, watching as the human rolled his eyes.

"How long will it take to upgrade?"

Zim shrugged. "Assuming nothing goes wrong; a few hours. There are some minor things Zim would like done in that time. Mostly just some basic readings to make sure the rest of the ship is still functioning properly."

Dib nodded before rolling the creeper over and laying back.


End file.
